England Unconcerned by Tough Mexico Challenge at Azteca

England's national team isn't fazed by the challenge awaiting them in their World Cup Round of 16 clash against Mexico, according to midfielder Declan Rice. From a hostile atmosphere to the high altitude, Thomas Tuchel's squad will face significant hurdles in the Mexican capital on their quest for a second World Cup title in their history.

"It's going to be like an away game for us. They've played every game in Mexico so far, they've been hosts throughout the tournament, and we just have to go there and deal with whatever comes our way," Declan Rice stated.

Mexico boasts only one loss in 89 matches at the Estadio Azteca, and England will be playing there for the first time since the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' in the quarterfinals secured Argentina a 2-1 victory over the Three Lions.

Tuchel believes it's a "good moment to make peace with the stadium and turn things around," but Rice isn't overthinking it.

"It doesn't matter to us where we play. It's just a stadium. Obviously, the Azteca is famous for Maradona's 'Hand of God' and many other legendary moments. We're just coming to do our job. Obviously, it will be surreal, but it's just another stadium we'll be playing at," Rice added.

Defender Ezri Konsa shares a similar outlook, and the England squad will be looking to build on their 2-1 victory against DR Congo a few days prior.

"We feel good, we feel confident. We know it's going to be tough, but we just need to focus on ourselves, we know what we can do. I'm confident in the lads and I'm looking forward to it," Konsa said.

The match between England and Mexico is scheduled for Monday at 3:00 AM Bulgarian time.